Sunday Stroll - Blossoms in the Snow

The calendula above, and a few of her wilted sisters, are the only real color, aside from green and silver leaves, that remains in the herb beds. The beds are tucked in with a blanket of snow. Over the past several weeks, Limerick put the big vegetable garden to bed for the winter. He pulled plants, turned the soil, and planted a new asparagus bed along the east side of the garden. Also along that side are some sprawling artichoke plants which are perennial, so he left them in place. We'll see how they survive our northern winter! This little wild mustard sprouted up around the artichokes and is still blooming despite the snow, and some pink yarrow is still blooming along the east side of the playhouse near the big garden.

An orange and yellow chrysthanemum cousin, dendranthema, is still blooming in the butterfly garden though many of the leaves and petal are brown and the ground is snow-covered.

The front our our house faces west and takes the brunt of the weather coming in from the lake. At this point, that means wind, cold and snow. Surprisingly, there are a few small, bright bits of color that are holding up to the weather. Bright blue flax petals are folded in upon themselves and laying down in the snow. A wild white fleabane blooms in the spot where purple petunias bloomed through the summer, and one yellow cinquefoil bud is still fresh and vibrant despite the seasonal weather of mid-November.